More and more countries around the world are turning to wind energy to meet their electricity needs. This is good news for well-established wind industry companies urgently searching for new markets. The greatest challenge is having the ability to adapt the turbines and other components flexibly to local statutory and climate conditions.
The Global Wind Summit, held in Hamburg from 25 to 28 September, provides an ideal platform for all market stakeholders to share insights into national challenges as well as best-practice approaches to overcoming them, and to find the right business partners. India is an excellent example of an emerging wind market.
Energy experts from the huge southern Asian country will be in Hamburg to study their options for driving their nation’s development of wind power. The Global Wind Summit combines the global WindEurope conference with the world’s leading wind industry expo, WindEnergy Hamburg, where 1400 exhibitors from roughly 40 countries will present themselves.
A delegation of top-level business representatives with a strong interest in the offshore wind segment featured at the world’s leading wind industry expo will be present at the Wind Summit. The delegation will be headed by Shri Bhanu Pratap Yadav, Joint Secretary, Ministry New and
Renewable Energy, and Dr. K. Balaraman, Director General of NIWE, India’s National Institute of Wind Energy. In addition, two Indian professional organisations will bring their networks to the world’s leading wind industry expo: IWPA, the Indian Wind Power Association, and IESA, the Indian Energy Storage Alliance. A programme item on the agenda of the Global Wind Summit will be expressly dedicated to “Doing Business with India”.
India, Asia’s second largest wind market
India has become Asia’s second largest wind market, and is one of three theme wind market nations at WindEnergy Hamburg 2018. Its installed capacity was over 32GW by the end of 2017. GWEC’s Global Wind Report; Annual Market Update 2017 indicates that the country last year added 4,148MW new installed turbines, for the first time exceeding 4GW. India has formulated an expanded 80GW wind target by 2022.
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) wind data indicate a gross onshore wind potential of about 302GW, concentrated in seven windy states plus its seven union territories.
The country has about 7600 km coastline and an estimated offshore wind potential of 127GW in waters around the southern state Tamil Nadu alone. National Wind Institute data indicate that the Rameswaram / Pamba Island area along Tamil Nadu’s east coast and Kanyakumari in the southeast could become two major offshore wind hubs. According the Indian news site Livemint, the country’s first 1GW windfarm could be built off the westernmost Gujarat state coast 23 – 40km seaward from Pipavav port in the Gulf of Khambat. Recently India announced a new, ambitious target for its offshore development efforts: To reach a total installed power of 30 GW by 2030.
India’s biggest wind energy company that has announced its participation in WindEnergy Hamburg is the turbine manufacturer Suzlon, which held a 32% local market share last year. Suzlon will inform WindEnergy Hamburg visitors about its latest products like a 2.1MW S111-140 turbine with 140-metre in-house lattice-tubular tower, plus a new S128 platform and 2.6MW and 2.8MW ratings. Its new SB 63 blade is the longest Suzlon ever produced.
Global wind turbine suppliers at WindEnergy Hamburg with production facilities in India include GE, Nordex Acciona, Siemens Gamesa, and Vestas. Main component exhibitors with manufacturing presence in India include bearing specialists Rothe Erde and Schaeffler (FAG) and SKF, blade supplier LM Wind Power, and gearbox suppliers Winergy and ZF Wind Power.
“Most OEMS active in India today are our gearbox customers, and ZF Wind Power India facility in Coimbatore established in 2006 produces for the global wind market too. With over 50% of raw materials and bearings locally sourced, we fully benefit from the Indian supply chain. Our facility is internationally recognized for manufacturing excellence and in supporting customers amidst a highly dynamic market environment”, says Pohekar Deepak, Plant Head ZF Wind Power India.
Gearbox supplier and WindEnergy Hamburg exhibitor RENK AG plans to enter India with a new generation gearboxes for the upcoming 3 – 4MW onshore segment and in meeting large-scale offshore demands. These gearboxes according a company spokesperson contain many innovative features like journal bearings in the most critical positions offering multiple benefits to the wind industry including maximized lifetime. RENK also actively promotes its wind couplings in India.
Customised for low-wind conditions
Turbine suppliers increasingly introduce models dedicated to India’s specific low-wind productmarket demands. GE Renewable Energy came in 2014 with a 1.7MW 1.7-103 turbine with 103metre rotor. Siemens Gamesa this April introduced a new 2.1MW SG 2.1-122 with 122-metre rotor dedicated to Indian market conditions, where it yields about 7% more compared to the current SG 2.1-114 volume model. The new turbines come in response to India’s auction system, whereby (onshore) wind competes with photovoltaics, increasing value chain pressure for lowest possible project lifecycle costs ($/MWh).
Localisation of production is a main theme in India. According to MNRE’s director J. K. Jethani, the (overall) Indian (onshore) wind sector had now achieved 70 – 80% indigenization level. This local supply chain delivers a wide range of main components ranging from gearboxes to generators, cast rotor hubs and main carriers, gearboxes, bearings blades, welded steel and other parts. Two Indian component suppliers at WindEnergy Hamburg are industrial filters and hydro-pneumatic accumulator manufacturer EPE Filters and Accumulators and cooler specialist Standard Radiators.
The Nordex Acciona 3MW AW3000 series is highest rated turbine produced in India, and includes the latest AW140/3000 flagship with 140-metre rotor diameter with 195W/m2 specific power rating. WindEnergy Hamburg exhibitor Enercon announced a re-entry in India with a 3.5MW EP3 featuring a 138-metre rotor. The first installations are planned in early 2020 said country director for India Wolfgang Juilfs.
Localization will commence with Enercon concrete-steel towers, and blades outsourced to a local third-party supplier. Juilfs expects that this will take 12- 15 months ‘to be followed by additional main components for the local and especially export markets in Asia.’ Building a strong research and know-how base is another main pillar under India’s ambitious plan to become a leading wind nation. WindEnergy Hamburg exhibitor LM Windpower is a good example. It operates a Technology Center in Bangalore.
WindEnergy Hamburg and Husum Wind
The Global Wind Summit will be held in Hamburg, the capital of the wind industry, from 25 to 28 September 2018. At WindEnergy Hamburg, roughly 1400 exhibitors from around the world will present their product innovations and projects. The world’s leading wind industry expo for the onshore and offshore wind industry mirrors the global market and its entire value chain. In parallel, WindEurope will hold the Global Onshore and Offshore Conference in the halls of Hamburg Messe.
The world of wind energy gathers in Hamburg for the Global Wind Summit every two years. At its partner event, HUSUM Wind, the Who’s Who of the German wind industry will meet for the following year’s most important German wind trade fair from 10 to 13 September 2019. From global market leaders to business pioneers and innovative start-ups, onshore and offshore businesses will be showing cutting-edge technology, product trends and examples of best practice from Germany and the neighbouring EU countries.
